Fallout TSC Commander Faction Report
by protectorcrimson
Summary: This is a series based on the Fallout 3 mod Mothership Zeta Crew. It is a mod that gives you a new faction under your command and you are in charge of it. This series covers how canon and non-canon factions relate to the Terran Starship Command.
1. Attention all TSC Counselors

From: The Commander

To: Starship Council

Subject: Report on Major Factions

Members of the Starship Council,

Due to recent events with Irons' Brotherhood I am undertaking a general assessment of all the known, major factions in the continental United States. Though I am your Commander, and you report to me, you are the heads of your own departments, and can make decisions that directly affect the TSC without my input. That autonomy is a privilege of being a councilor.

We need all the allies we can get, and I'm sure you agree that we must analyze potential enemies. I have acquired unique knowledge of the factions on the West and East Coast, and I will tell you most of what I know. Thanks to a minor complication with Archangel and The Intelligence Field General overseeing our Africa assessment division, I have taken on this task personally, to expand even more on the unique situation that is ongoing in the Mojave and the valuable intelligence one can gather under the right conditions.

I will begin with the Brotherhood of Steel, divided into individual chapters, as they pose the greatest threat so far. I will also cover the New California Republic, Caesar's Legion, New Vegas, and any other organizations I encounter that I think would be worthwhile knowing more about.


	2. The Brotherhood as a Whole

Final:

From: The Commander

To: Starship Council

Subject: The Brotherhood of Steel - In general analysis

Most of what I know, I learned from the files and Scribes in the Citadel, Protector Casdin of the Outcasts and a friendly Journeyman Scribe from the Mojave Chapter . The Brotherhood was unofficially founded a few weeks after the Great War. The leader and founder Roger Maxson, after discovering the atrocities done at a military base known as Mariposa officially left the US military. After the events of the Great War, Captain Maxson and the soldiers and families with him, left Mariposa and traveled to a government fallout bunker at Lost Hills. This is where the Brotherhood was officially founded: Maxson's intentions were to rebuild Human civilization no matter what the cost.

History:  
Little is known of the early years of the Brotherhood. What is clear is that they began to grow fairly quickly, forming the orders of Knights, Scribes, and Paladins within a few years. By 2135, Roger Maxson died of cancer and his son, Maxson II, took over as the new High elder. In 2150 the Brotherhood secured the areas surrounding their base of operations. They would eventually become a major power in the core regions of California. In the same year the Brotherhood face its first enemy but not biggest of them. A raider group known as the Vipers; they were religious followers and to compensate for their size they started to raid and eventually caught the attention of the Brotherhood. After five years of tolerance, the Brotherhood finally sent out a few recon squads to track down the Vipers. This was supposed to be small training excursion lead by the High Elder. The Brotherhood was convinced that a small detachment of powered armor soldiers would be able to take out the group of raiders, no matter how large. Maxson's squad found the Vipers. They expected the raiders to be scared by soldiers in power armor and run at first sight. Maxson made a fatal mistake, as he did not consider the religious zeal of the leaders and more importantly their poison weapons. He was nicked by an arrow when he temporally had his helmet off. His son Roger Maxson took up the position of High elder.  
The death of their leader led the Brotherhood to launch a campaign to wipe out the Vipers. During this the Brotherhood encountered the Hub and began trading with them. After the destruction of the Vipers a regular Caravan was sent to the Brotherhood on regular basis. By the time of the 2160's the Brotherhood became aware of the existence of Super mutants. By 2162, according to the Citadel history files, a _Vault Dweller_ came to them wanting to join. He was not taken seriously and sent on a typical fool's errand to ward off troublemakers. The mission was apparently to go to an irradiated research facility, named "_The Glow_." He was to recover a Holodisk from a lost BOS expedition that did not return from the area. To everybody's surprise he returned alive and with the disk, the_ Vault Dweller_ then became the first outsider to join the Brotherhood in a very long time, even though he was not completely accepted among the group (Personal note: sounds like someone I would like to have met). From him they learned of the Super Mutant threat. With the support of the High Elder, this _Vault Dweller_ (for that is the only name for him that I have found) took a squad of Paladins to Mariposa and wiped out the threat of the so-called "_Unity_." The irony is too great; all he did was clean up what Maxson left behind.

Following the defeat of the Super Mutants, the New California Republic was founded and began to expand. The NCR founded a small town around Lost Hills called Maxson, while the bunker itself remained under control of the Brotherhood. By this time, the topic of sharing and recruiting outsiders started to become a problem. The council of Elders ruled to continue to follow their traditional, isolationist principles. The minority, who supported a more open Brotherhood, was exiled East, on a mission to track down the rest of the Super Mutant Army by Zeppelins or Airships. This group got lost and never heard from Lost Hills again. Then-Paladin Lyons' taskforce was dispatched to reconnect with this group on their way East, but it did not go well. All Lyons learned is that they have departed, and formed their own independent Chapter, known as the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel. Eventually, Lyons would follow a similar situation in the Capital Wasteland. Back West, the Brotherhood established small outposts throughout the Core Regions and Nevada.  
By 2242, the Brotherhood was no longer the power they once were. With the emergence of the TSC's shady cousins, the Enclave, the BOS found that they weren't the most technologically advanced group in the known world, and were intimidated. Given how they reacted to us, I'd say that was fairly predictable. The Brotherhood saw Enclave Vertibird technology, and that they had no counter, no defense against an Enclave invasion. Fortunately, the Enclave seemed to have ignored the Brotherhood even when the Elders reactivated outposts close to Enclave activities to keep an eye on them. The Brotherhood tasked the grandchild of the _Vault Dweller_, known as the _Chosen One_, to retrieve Vertibird schematics, to even the odds a bit. He or she was most likely successful in delivering them to Lost Hills, given that we have encountered Irons' chapter using them. The Chosen One then went on to take out the Enclave's main base, the Poseidon Oil platform, and the NCR cleaned up the survivors. From this point on the history of the West Coast chapter history gets fuzzy, because of the lack of communication between East and West. The history of the Brotherhood is split in two. What I know is that the NCR have driven all of the California and Nevada Brotherhood into hiding, as per the war they fought over technology. I have asked Archangel to gather Intel on this subject to explain why Irons has not been affected by this war. I will also search for more info on the Brotherhood when I take up my west coast persona again.

Society:  
The Brotherhood of Steel seems to have taken the ancient knight culture and adapted it to modern times. They follow a strict code that includes the eradication of mutants and worshiping technology, and with only two exceptions, most chapters have not been very keen on sharing technology. If and when they do it is the lowest tech they have. Obviously, the BOS could broaden its recruitment base if it were more open with the tech that could benefit the common wastelander. It is commonly accepted within the Brotherhood that the people of the wasteland are not responsible enough to use and maintain all the technology the Brotherhood has at its disposal, a belief that transcends even the idealism of Elder Lyons.

Ideology:

Although the Brotherhood is legendary for their past actions and persona, as time has passed and the organization has aged more of the negative aspects of their beliefs have been realized. Originally they stood for relatively respectful goals of preservation. But after years of preserving since the nuclear fires died down in the last 200 years, they have not changed and still preserve when now it is time for them to stop preserving and to start using it to rebuild. This subject has been challenged and two chapters, the Midwestern and CW, have grown by being more open. The Midwest chapter has grown and, to our knowledge, at least controls a small state. Lyons, though gullible, will grow after the war with the Enclave. Though they lost a 40-foot Liberty Prime, which was most of their heavy firepower, they gained access to Vertibirds and repair parts for the massive robot. We also know that the Western Brotherhood is very paranoid and attacks anybody with a laser pistol, which also explains their reaction to us. Much of their belief system is enshrined in a document called the Codex, which acts as a sort of Bible for the Brotherhood when the need arises. Most of the Codex in Lyons chapter was lost in transit to the CW, and the Outcasts took what survived. I know that Lyons Brotherhood had to rewrite it from memory and probably has some major changes. They now follow a new codex named Lyons Doctrine.

Symbolism of the insignia:  
The Brotherhood of Steel insignia is circle attached to a pair of wings, an upward-pointing sword, and three gears, one larger than the others. The gears seem to represent the inner workings of the Brotherhood and their productive capacity, the sword is their will to defend themselves, the wings represent the uplifting hope of the acquisition of lost technology and using it to restore mankind, and the circle represents the unity that makes them a Brotherhood. There are other interpretations, but this one is the most widely accepted. I must now say that there are some similarities between their symbol and ours. The first is the wings; while theirs is Hope alone, ours represent Hope and taking Action based on it. The Brotherhood does not act upon their Hope, and I do not see that changing anytime soon. Next is the sword; to them it's a means to defense, which is somewhat ironic given that Irons' chapter attacked us first, without provocation. They likely see us as an attack on them for even existing and challenging their power, or more specifically, their monopoly on advanced technology. Their sword points up, while ours points down. Though Nylus believes the sword represents the Ion Cannon, it is actually more. We are people from the heavens and bring amazing technology to the people of the wastes. The sword represents more than our means to defend ourselves; it is the might behind the peace.

Structure:  
The Brotherhood is mostly composed of the descendants of the military officers, soldiers, and scientists that came out of Mariposa back in the early years following the Great War. That produced in them a kind of belief in their genetic superiority which, aside from a select few, has barred entrance to outsiders. Indeed, the Brotherhood is as close to pure-strain humanity as you can get in the wasteland, with the exception of the people in Vaults and the Enclave.  
The ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel are generally recognized as being composed of the best and the brightest remaining to humanity in the North American Wastelands, which means the BOS is a relatively small organization, at least compared to the New California Republic. They attempt to make up for this with their frightening arsenal of pre-and-post-War technology. They have laser weapons, power armor, surgical cybernetic enhancements, and combat implants. Their Paladins are so heavily armed and armored, that they can erase an entire town from the map without a scratch. The vast majority of BOS members are born into the Brotherhood, as they very rarely accept outsiders into their ranks. From what I have learned from a friendly Mojave Brotherhood scribe, every member of the Brotherhood considers it his or her duty to procreate. While this hasn't been enshrined in official policy, it does result in a lack of tolerance for same-sex relationships, at least when the proponents of the aforementioned stance are concerned. Anyone who doesn't want to stay doesn't have to; they don't believe in involuntary servitude. The one caveat is that no former members may share any medical or scientific knowledge they have acquired while in the Brotherhood with any outside faction. All those who have, at least in those areas where isolationists compose the majority, have been executed for it.  
While they have great reverence for technology, most of the Brotherhood members have little regard for non-technical fields of knowledge, such as history, English (beyond the necessary rules and vocabulary for their communication), and law. Some extreme members extend that view as worthless to non-military technology. Most of the Scribes do not care about history, and some Brotherhood of Steel Initiates that are not from the East Coast, do not even know who Roger Maxson, the founder of the Brotherhood, was.  
I find this sort of belief simply ridiculous. All forms of technology and how can they not accept medical technology when even the most simplistic of medicine can help compensate for their lack of numbers.

The Brotherhood limits itself too much, scientifically for this reason alone, the Brotherhood of Steel can never be the architect of the new order until they change their ideology and make the right alliances.

Military:  
The Brotherhood of Steel follows a similar means of a civilized military, with standard armor, weapons, and ammunition. They have a standardized training regimen, a reasonably clear chain of command, various bases, the means to supply their own troops, and different branches.  
Ranks:  
The Brotherhood of Steel has three different rank systems. The first is the original and less of a rank system than a caste system. The second is used by Lyons' Brotherhood and Outcasts on the East Coast.

In the caste system the lowest caste is the initiates; they are the trainees who are expected to perform well enough to be promoted to senior Initiates, and later Apprentices. After proving themselves, they must choose the Battle Caste or the Science Caste: journeyman Knight or Scribe. Then next is Knight Sergeant/Senior Scribe, Knight Captain and finally the leader of each of these orders is the Head Knight and Head Scribe. What makes these castes is that the Scribes and Knights follow ranks but are all lower then Paladins. Knights are the engineers and field mechanics of the brotherhood, though they do participate in combat situations as well, and the scribes are the scientists of the group and are in charge of developing new technology and improving existing equipment.  
Paladins are a separate group all together, after many years of service the best knights are made Paladins. Paladins are in charge of security and outside activities. The ranks in this caste are Junior Paladin, Paladin, Senior Paladin, and Head Paladin. The highest Caste is Elder. Elders are the most experienced, and frequently the oldest, of the Paladins. Only one known Elder, Elijah, did not hold the rank of Paladin before his promotion.  
The second form, used by Lyons' BOS, is based on the old US ranking system. Paladin is not a separate caste but still performs the same general role as before, the Knights have lost the maintain and construct the Brotherhood's equipment responsibilities , and it has been passed onto the scribes thought they still conduct all scientific activities. Above the Paladins and below the Elder, they have a rank called "Sentinel," though only one of their number has attained it. One interesting note about the Scribes in Lyons' chapter: they have now been separated into three different orders, Sword (weapons), Shield (armor/defenses), and Quill (history/anything else (presumably)), each led by its own proctor.

Relations to others:  
While they are generally not hostile to others without a good reason, members of the Brotherhood are not interested in justice for the obviously weaker and less fortunate wastelanders. Some do not care even about the crimes that they commit to those under them. They largely focus on keeping their secrecy and preserving and developing technology, which they often put above human life since technology is irreplaceable in the post-nuclear wastelands—lives are not. Their motives are often unclear, and Brotherhood members are not people to be trifled with. It is safe to say, however, that if a group of Brotherhood Paladins appears to be helping outsiders, their motives are not altruistic.  
The Brotherhood will challenge any group that they even see as a threat for even existing. For example, what has happening us and Irons and the original Brotherhood and the NCR. Unlike us, the Brotherhood does not seem to accept mutants, though the strength ranges from toleration (of ghouls), to outright hatred (of super mutants).

Technology:  
Military technology is the Brotherhood's main priority, and they have obtained as much as they possibly can. They will kill and go to war with any group to get their hands on their technology.  
Though not as advanced as the Enclave, Brotherhood soldiers often carry hi-tech Energy Weapons and suited with power armor. Most of this armor is the standard US military T-51b and T-45d suits. Power armor is usually worn over recon armor to make it more comfortable.  
The brotherhood also has access to advanced computers which that have found in various military bases, the computers of the Lost Hills bunker, the ruins of the Pentagon, and a number of others. They also possess heavy-duty robots to assist them, like the intimidating sentry bots. Lyons' chapter even has the 40-foot Liberty Prime.

The Brotherhood, unlike other organizations, is not monolithic. It has several chapters that (mostly act independently) spread throughout the United States. The ones we know of are: the Original, Mojave, Midwestern, Eastern, Outcasts, and Irons', hereafter referred to as WBOS, MBOS, MWBOS, EBOS, Outcasts, and IBOS. There is also a shadow chapter that is compromised of select group of most of the other chapters. They are very similar to our Seraphs; they follow a single goal, preserving the brotherhood no matter the cost. If you ask any brotherhood member they will say they do not exist. Our Seraphs say otherwise and I know they exist since I also saved the life of Knight of the Circle of Steel. I will cover the Circle and the other chapters that I mentioned in separate reports.


	3. Lyons Brotherhood of Steel

From: The Commander

To: Starship Council

Subject: Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel—General Assessment and Personal Impression

The first major organization I ever encountered in my travels and the one group that has a connection to my family, other than Vault 101. As you should know, while I try to be objective with this group, I am still biased in their favor. I consider some of the senior members of this group family. Lyons' Brotherhood is the second most technologically advanced faction in the Capital wasteland, and strangely, also an honorable, honest group that puts the welfare of the wasteland first. From conversing with Brotherhood scribes, I have deduced that the original, Western Brotherhood seems to be an elitist group who mostly rejects relations with the outside. After seeing the wasteland of DC, and out of the mighty reach of the west coast Elders, Elder Lyons saw that the Brotherhood's technology can actually help these people and rejected the isolationism of the original ideals. 20 years after that decision, devoid of support from Lost Hills, he has recruited wastelanders to fill his ranks, but they don't have the training to last very long. What hurt Lyons most was the desertion of his friend and second-in-command Paladin Casdin, along with a sizable portion of his the original force of the Brotherhood that came west. These deserters formed the so-called Brotherhood Outcasts.

During those 20 years my own father was the lead scientist of Project purity, but after my mother died birthing me and the lack of significant progress, my father left and the project broke down. The Brotherhood had wasted time and effort on a dead project. After I left Vault 101, I searched for my father James. I had several unique encounters. I eventually found him in Vault 112 after I dealt with the insane overseer Braun. James (my father) headed to Rivet City and from there we headed to Project Purity. The summary of the events for the Enclave and related subjects I will put in another report. After the events of PP we escaped to the Citadel, and I was then recruited by the Brotherhood to deal with the Enclave. I talked to several of the scribes to gain information and went on my way. After entering vault 87 and securing the GECK, I was caught by the Enclave.

When I regained consciousness I was being interrogated by Col. Autumn. I then met President Eden. After I returned to the Citadel, war was about to break out. I was made an honorary member of Lyons' Pride and given a set of Power Armor with the appropriate insignia. The attack on the purifier began, led by Liberty Prime. Sentinel Lyons and I took the Purifier and we made the ultimate sacrifice; knowing that one of us would die. Both of us survived, and I awoke two weeks later. I was given the rank of Knight to my "delight," and we finished the Brotherhood war against the Enclave. In the end, even though it was delayed, Lyons' Brotherhood accomplished both missions: the original Brotherhood mission of securing advanced tech on the East coast and Lyons mission to protect the wasteland.

History:  
The history of Lyons' Brotherhood starts at the split of both of the Coasts brotherhoods. As you know I have discussed the brotherhoods histories up to this point. Lyons' brotherhood was tasked in 2254, sometime after the destruction of the West Coast Enclave, by the Lost Hills Council, to send a contingent of soldiers to the East Coast. This group had three goals: 1) reconnect with the lost Brotherhood expedition that was sent East decades earlier, which is now known as the Midwest Brotherhood; 2) scour the ruins of Washington D.C for advanced technology; 3) investigate rumors of super mutant activity on the East Coast (the super mutant goal being a secondary objective). This group was sent and lead by the idealistic Paladin Lyons, technical advisor Reginald Rothschild, and his three year old daughter Sarah Lyons. They then began their long trek to East to D.C.

_Personal note: I find it ironic that the West Coast Brotherhood cannot deal with internal affairs effectively. Instead of reconciling their ideology problems, they send them far away. This has happened three times, first with the Midwest brotherhood, second with Lyons, then third with the Mojave chapter mostly because of an idealistic Elder and former Scribe. This irony seems to benefit the Brotherhood and everyone else, as none of the more independent, extroverted chapters would have come into being without it._

The Pitt:

Lyons first objective with the Midwest chapter was not successful. They refused to return command of their society to the Lost Hills Brotherhood. The expedition then continued east and arrived in Pennsylvania. There, they found a post-War Slaver settlement known as The Pitt. This city was plagued with a verity of monstrosities, from insane raiders known as Wild Men, to mutants known as Trogs, and finally to the standard Slaver-Raider gangs. The Brotherhood, seeing this place, knew that it must be put down, even though it was not part of their mission to defend anyone but themselves. The Brotherhood practically razed the city. They were outnumbered 10-1, yet only suffered one casualty (Paladin Asher). I discovered later that he was not dead, just MIA, but I'll get into that later. The Brotherhood gathered all the non-mutated children, around 20, and traveled south.

The Citadel:

After the group arrived in the city it did not take them long to make several significant discoveries. As the Brotherhood had feared, the Pentagon was heavily damaged but not completely destroyed. Its sub levels were largely intact. After the Pentagon's defenses were taken care of they found enough technology to make a permanent base in the area. This discovery gave Lyons a promotion to Elder that he accepted gladly and gave the Brotherhood a base they desperately needed. The Pentagon eventually became known as the Citadel.  
As I have been told by Rothchild and other early members of this chapter, it did not take long for the Brotherhood to find the super mutants. In the streets of D.C., the presence of super mutants was so bad that it was impossible to avoid them.

Super Mutants:  
After Lyons saw how much of threat the Mutants were, he made his first decision to defy the orders of Lost Hills. This decision and the events of the Pitt (known to the survivors as The Scourge), have won the admiration of the Locals of the C.W. The Brotherhood was able to turn the tide against the super mutants. They forced the Super Mutants back into the D.C. ruins. While SM's still control a majority of the downtown area, they've never been able to make any significant inroads against the Brotherhood. Though life was still harsh and unfair, the people of the wastes finally had a chance to organize and develop, all thanks to Elder Lyons.  
Fighting Super mutants, or simply keeping them at bay, may have been enough for the wasteland but it was not enough for the Brotherhood. There were too many unanswered questions. How were these local Super mutants created? Were they related to the Core Regions mutants? Why were they capturing the people of the wasteland? Where were they taking them? Lyons became obsessed with answering these questions.

Declaration of Independence:

After this decision the events of the Capital Wasteland were in a bit of stasis. The Brotherhood did not realize the importance they held to the Locals. The Elders in the West Coast also did not seem to care or realize this importance and wanted to hog the East Coast tech all for themselves. The Elder's original mission was very clear- to acquire advance technologies in and around the ruins of D.C. The elimination and investigation was important too, but secondary. The West Coast elders assumed that Lyons could eliminate the Super Mutants easily and their source quickly. This seemed to be the conversation topic of all the communication with Lost Hills. They rambled on and Lost Hills refused to budge, and Elder Lyons eventually made the decision that he felt was more important than Technology. He seceded from Lost Hills. Lyons' Holotape transcript of the relevant communiqué reads: "I will find more technology when I am damn good and ready, and I will not sacrifice the people of the Capital Wasteland who rely on the bravery and strength of the Brotherhood of Steel."

_Personal Note: Even though I was not there, this decision, along with others, has given me great respect for Owen Lyons. In my opinion, he holds the true ideals of the Brotherhood: to preserve and improve technology until it is ready for society's resurrection. That time is now since the nuclear fire has died down._

From what I have heard from conversations with the Scribes of the Citadel, the halls of Lost Hills erupted in rumors and speculations. Owen Lyons had, as they say, "gone native" putting the needs of the Capital Wastelands locals above the needs of the Brotherhood Itself. Some disagreed, wondering if he had finally exhibited the selfless behavior that served as the model for the entire order. This is one of the last greatest known controversies with the Brotherhood. The decision of Lost Hills was split in half. So they made the only honorable decision that they could act upon. They recognized Elder Lyons as the leader of the Citadel and their D.C. headquarters, but all materials and personnel support from the West was cut off. If Lyons wanted to pursue his own agenda, he would do it alone. The irony is that now Lyons is like the Midwest; his faction controls territories and makes its own laws and customs, but is not really affiliated with the original Brotherhood anymore.  
_Personal Note: This decision was typical West Coast Brotherhood behavior: they always toe the line and don't make any major decisions. Honestly, I think those who opposed him hoped that, after a few years of degradation, this chapter would recognize the futility of independence and beg for renewed support. This is a typical establishment reaction against anything new, as they usually believe that their way is the only way. Lyons' supporters hoped to use the situation to explore a Lyons' new ideology; since Lost Hills was still dealing with the NCR, Lyons essentially had a blank slate. History would prove that those who opposed this man were wrong and that rules must adapt as times change.  
_

The Outcasts:

I'll cover the Outcasts later in their own report, but in a nutshell, this group broke from Lyons and is still trying to contact the West Coast so that they could be in charge. This decision was (and is) bad and they have no defined goal or way to actually achieve their Goal.

Current Status: The most current status of Lyons' Brotherhood is intertwined with my personal history; for specifics I'll write a report of my travels before the creation of the TSC. To this point Lyons has outshined the West Coast Brotherhood starting just a few years after their establishment. After 20 years Lyons now has access to external recruitment, the Enclave's most advanced power armor, and Vertibirds which gives them a real Air Force. Lyons also had a functional Liberty Prime, until it was severely damaged. But thanks to the War with the Enclave they have access to repair parts and abilities to improve on the giant robot. But what is more important than the destruction with Liberty Prime is that the Brotherhood has been able to reverse engineer Liberty Prime's eye Cannon, making the new Tesla Cannon. With these capabilities they will eventually be able to start developing more technologies and make their own energy weapons.

Technology  
Defense: The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood current standard Power Armor is T-45d. They have enough of it for all members of the Brotherhood to use it, even Initiates. Apparently, the armor they brought over from the West was worn out and needed replacing. I have no doubt they still have access to a few suits of T-51b, but the Outcasts likely took most, the rest are sometimes used for the most senior members of the chapter. So for these two reasons T-45d has become the most standard power armor, most of which are from the Pentagon's vault, surrounding military bases and bases they encountered on their trek over west. More recently, thanks to the war with the Enclave and the capture of Adams Air force Base, the Brotherhood has access to the Enclaves most advanced Power Armor (APA MK2, Mk II Tesla Armor, and Hellfire Armor).

Weapons: Before recent events this chapter used Energy weapons but to a significantly lesser degree than other chapters. Laser weaponry is delicate and degrades easily; they lacked repair parts, the facilities to produce new parts, and were no longer receiving supplies from the West Coast. To compensate for this, the Brotherhood Knights and Paladins use conventional ballistic weapons: R91 Assault Rifles and Type 93 Chinese Assault Rifles. But after the war with the Enclave, they now have access to replacement parts for their Laser weaponry and access to Plasma weapons. In heavy weapons, they have Enclave Heavy Incinerators, Tri-beam Laser Rifles, and Tesla Cannons.

Industry: The Enclave had manufacturing facilities, which produced advanced technology. The Brotherhood has now taken many of the designs, and can build more using factories here in the Capital Wasteland. With this ability they will be able to construct weapons, armor, medical (and other non-military) technology, replacement parts, and Vertibirds. Of course, these processes will be very slow due to the condition of Pre-war buildings. Most likely the Brotherhood will employ locals in these factories, providing jobs and safety for their workers.

Exotic: Up until recently, Lyons had access to a 40 ft. robot known as Liberty Prime. It has enough weapons to stand against almost anything, perhaps even our Valkyries. The thing is practically invulnerable to standard weaponry and it took an orbital missile strike to put it out of action. The Head Scribe of Lyons' chapter, Reginald Rothchild, has made it his personal mission to restore and improve on Liberty Prime. The robot, while no longer able to fight, was not completely destroyed; his A.I. is still intact and might be useful as a base computer if repairs are impossible. (I have my doubts as to whether that would be any good). Other exotic technology is from the war with the Enclave were they got access to Vertibirds and the Database of AAFB.

Project Purity: This is probably the most precious of all of Capital Wasteland technology, thanks to the conditions in the area. Everyone needs clean water. Whoever controls this supply controls the country. As Lyons' chapter now controls it, they are in a position to hurt us.  
The purifier is also my father's life's work; he sacrificed himself to get this purifier up and running.

Personal Note: This is a technology that thought not superior can purify larger quantities of water, then what we can. Even though we threaten the monopoly the Brotherhood, it is not all bad. We have a larger populace to produce purified for so we are not much of a threat. I will take it as a personal favor if we must have access to Project Purity that it is not done through military force to have it through diplomacy.

Military  
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood is divided into three clear ranks: Initiates, Knights (and Captains), and Paladins. Initiates are either born into the Brotherhood or local recruits, on the way to become full Knights. In recent years, however, many of the initiates lack the proper training and have been rushed into combat. They are the most numerous members of the Brotherhoods ground forces. The next ranks are Knights and Knight Captains; these members have served time in the Brotherhood and had become fully fledged members. They are backbone of the Brotherhood's fighting forces. The Paladins are veterans of the Brotherhood. These are the most elite of this chapter and most are from Lyons' original expedition to D.C. A number of them are part of a special unit called Lyons' Pride. This spec ops team is led by Lyons' daughter, Sarah, and constitute the best of the Brotherhood (they consider themselves the best of all the Brotherhood).

Society  
As I have stated before the Brotherhood is a neo-knightly order that has strong roots in the old U.S. military. Its main focus is the eradication of mutants and the worship of technology, and the Brotherhood has never been known to share resources with outsiders. Though Lyons is much more open to wastelanders, even he does not share that often. His reason is that while he does not find wastelanders to be inept, they are too greedy and prone to in-fighting to deal with.  
The East Coast Brotherhood, unlike other Brotherhood chapters, has taken the old chivalry-centric style more than other chapters by actually caring for justice in the wasteland. They have been known to hire the Regulators and Mercenaries like Riley's Rangers to do work that they cannot handle.  
All in all, the description of Elder Lyons as "[gone] native," is correct. Lyons believes he has a responsibility to protect the people of the Capital Wasteland from the super mutant threat. Until recently, most of Lyons' knights have forgone the mission to recover new technology to instead act as a kind of security force. As you know Lyons runs operations from the stronghold of the Citadel, a heavily defended structure built from the ruins of an ancient government building known as "the Pentagon."

Relations  
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood is more idealistic when it comes to trading with outsiders. The Brotherhood was known to help patrol and defend settlements like Megaton, until the super mutant threat became so big that they were forced to pull out of many key locations. When they are out in the wastes, they try to protect any and all innocent wastelanders they find, and recruit them if possible. I don't think they trade with other factions or towns, and when I tried selling them some of my gear, I had to get permission from Lyons to do it.

Personal Assessment  
My personal assessment of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel is that Lyons' chapter is the most influential group in the CW next to Rivet City. They will prosper if not hindered by any external forces. With its influence derived from production and distribution of Aqua Pura, access to external recruitment, and the technology captured from the Enclave, an alliance would be most fruitful. If they are not amenable to this, then we at least must not lightly antagonize them. But like all the other groups that I have found, this one has its flaws. The greatest is that this chapter in general, and Elder Lyons in particular, is a bit gullible: during my travels I had several chances to turn on them, the most promising of which was during the attack on Adams Air Force Base. If I had destroyed the Citadel with an orbital strike, I would have been able to take whatever was left. This would have freed the Capital Wasteland from Brotherhood influence, but left almost every settlement defenseless against Super Mutant attacks, at least until we could establish the needed presence. Plus, it would clear the field for the Outcasts to exert more control upon trade and industry, which is not desirable, for reasons I will explore later. Overall, Lyons' Brotherhood has a decent military force and recruitment base but barely any security, and will recruit almost any promising wastelander they find.

Lyons himself is an idealist; he believes the best of everyone. He even sympathizes with the Outcasts, recognizing that they were justified, from a certain point of view (theirs), in deserting for what might be termed political reasons. The man may have great respect from those he commands and protects, but it is only because he has never truly suffered for his naiveté (i.e. defeat by a hostile faction or individual). If the Outcasts had retained the support of the Western Elders, he would be forced to deal with them, and disregard the needs of the wasteland. I must acknowledge the facts that his general friendliness could make him a great politician, and that he seems to have the lion-like strength to fight off the proverbial wolves. But I fear that he may not be cunning and devious enough to recognize and avoid traps, let alone set any for enemies that prove too powerful to be taken down by conventional means. He'd make a good spokesman in any new order, but he could never lead one.


	4. The Brotherhood Outcasts

From: The Commander  
To: Starship Council  
Subject: Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts- General Assessment and personal recommendation

The Outcasts, as they like to be called, are a rather unique faction. Even though they are Outcasts they are not truly that. This question depends on who you ask, if you ask most of the Brotherhood on the West coast The Outcasts would probably be considered the primary Chapter of the Capital Wasteland, but others would say that Lyons is. The latter impression would also be reinforced by the fact that the Lyons has completed both goals, the original to secure the technology of the East Coast (which has been done through the war with the Enclave) and protect the people of the wastes (this later goal will most likely be overlooked now thanks to Lyons Acquisition of much of the enclaves Technology).

History:  
The Outcasts were officially formed a year before I left the vault which is 2276. The Outcasts are made up of most of the remnants of the original force that came with Lyons from the West Coast. Their departure was done because they believed that Lyons had lost sight of their original goals. To their point of view The Outcasts were right. But when the Outcasts broke away from Lyons they broke one of the brotherhoods highest laws. The Members of the chapter must listen to their Elder no matter what; that is until the Elder is challenged. This challenge is a task to prove that the decision of what the elder has done is wrong. Mostly this is getting support of the senior members of the Chapter. Since Casdin, had no real proof of this the only honorable thing to do was admit defeat. Instead, he left the chapter with his supporters and broke another law by raiding the Citadel's Vault of technology. They then made base at Fort Independence (the name of the fort is somewhat ironic). They forced out the occupying raider group who had been attacking the Outcasts ever since. They were then named "Outcasts", by their former brothers and sisters; they instead took it as a badge of Honor. They then painted their armor red and black to distinguish themselves from the chapter they no longer served.

In the eyes of the Outcasts they are the true chapter of the Capital Wasteland. They have upheld the Original brotherhoods ideal to the letter. I have had relations with this group several times; I was hired as a mercenary to recover Tec from the wastes. This was done because they were basically only able to hold down the fort and send a few squads into the wastes (they may have also been impressed by me showing that I was more intelligent than they would usually assume, that and I had a Pip-Boy; which you can only get in a vault). I also encountered a group in a bunker that held vaults of Pre-war Tec. This group was frustrated that they could not enter the vault. I helped them by going through a simulation of Battle of Anchorage that was barley historically correct. When the vault was opened a group of the Outcasts stationed there tried to kill their Leader, Protector McGraw, he had made a deal that I could keep any of the equipment in the first vault that I opened. This first vault was mostly a display vault but had a few items that helped in my later adventures. The Traitors to McGraw did not even want to share a single bit of Tec, thanks to the suit of Power armor that the Specialist(their counterpart to scribes) helped me put on. And a nice Gauss Rifle I was able to save the Specialist and Protector. They were very grateful for the assistance, this was the first time that I felt gratitude from the outcasts but even then they only called me "The Next Best Thing".

Organization:  
Like Lyons Brotherhood, the Outcasts wear the standard T-45d's, retextured for their own faction with some exceptions to the Protectors. To compensate for the schism of the two groups the Outcasts supplement their forces with reprogrammed Robobrains, Sentry bots, and Protectrons painted the same as their armor.  
In addition to procuring and stockpiling technology from the Capital Wasteland ruins, they also analyze and reverse-engineer what they find, leaving logs at their bases that record their work.  
Their main bases of operations are Fort Independence, and the Outcast underground outpost. While the Brotherhood of Steel patrols the Ruins of D.C. the Outcasts patrols are common in the Capital Wasteland.  
They have three ranks; these are just a more adapted version of Lyons form of the Brotherhood Rank system. It is Protector, which is the same as Paladin, the next is Defender which is their equivalent to Knight, and then the last is Specialist, which is the same as a Scribe.

Relations:  
To the typical wastelanders they are unpleasant. Though not hostile, they assume every waster that they encounter is ignorant and primitive. Although the Outcasts are unpleasant they will help the typical waster in fighting wildlife and raiders, however this seems more as self preservation, they are helpful nevertheless. When I first met the group at Fort Independence, they were under attack from a group of raiders, even though they did not need me I helped anyway, I then spoke to "Defender Marie Morgan of the Outcasts", a guard of Fort Independence and, like other Outcasts, she insults all wasters that she talks to. Fortunately I seemed to have responded to her correctly since she replied "glad to see that there is someone else out here that can keep up". I had then been immediately introduced to the leader of the Outcasts. He offered a job to bring them any technology that I recovered in the wasteland. After keeping some items for myself I started turning in Tech in return for mostly stimpack's since this resource is very rare in the Capital Wasteland. I eventually earned their trust and allowed to explore the base but they were wary of me in the lower levels.

Relations with other factions: They are hostile to the Enclave for good reason, but they are also hostile to their former brothers, which is understandable, but what really concerns me about this is that I have heard Elder Lyons say to literally go out of their way to avoid the Outcasts. The main brotherhood none the less attacks the Outcasts on sight. I do not know if this a mutual hatred of each other, or from orders from Casdin to attack the main brotherhood and they are defending themselves.

Technology:  
The Brotherhood Outcasts are formidable opponents. They are one of the most technologically equipped opponents in the Capital Wasteland, only behind the Enclave, and about equal to the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel. They have access to the Capital Wastes more uncommon weaponry though they use common weaponry as well. The more common weapons are 10 mm submachine guns, R91 assault rifles, 5mm Miniguns, and the common Frag grenades and mines.  
The more uncommon equipment includes the common Capital waste Laser weapons, typically the AEP7 Laser pistols, and the AER9 Laser Rifles, also Flamers, Missile launchers, and Gatling Lasers. They also have rare forms of melee weapons, like Rippers, Super Sledges, and Power Fists.

I have also seen Outcasts carrying other weapons that they usually don't have access to like Plasma rifles, Sniper Rifles, the Chinese Assault Rifles, and Combat shotguns. These are probably taken from fallen enemies and I know for a fact that the Plasma Rifle is from Enclave kill squads.

Thanks to my assistance to them at the underground Outcast outpost, the vault I got into had many forms of weaponry which were already common to the Outcasts but there was also some unique technology in there. There was a unique Chinese stealth suit but from my experience in the simulator that is the only version that was in D.C. Other tech in there included a custom T-51b which I got a suit of. It can be assumed that the other vaults have access to more of these and probably will compliment any T-51bs that are left over from the West Coast. The other more dangerous is a special energy Weapon the Prototype Mark II Gauss rifle also known as a coil gun. As with the Power armor it can be assumed they have access to this type of energy weapon as well. This Technology will make them far more powerful in combat and suggest caution when dealing with them in the field.

Personal Assessment: The Brotherhood Outcasts are not a group to be trifled with. They have more drive to get what they want then Lyons, but they are not as paranoid as the West coast Brotherhoods. The Outcasts will probably see our group as just another Enclave, but if diplomatic talks are made with the group things might turn for the best. But beware I once saw a squad of Outcasts gun down a surrendering Enclave kill squad, all they wanted was some water. My recommendation will have me personally to talk to the Protector and show him how their past Ally has risen to the heavens. I would suggest a tour of the Olympus itself. But beware even this suggestion has its dangers; Irons could use this group with the promise to make them the Main chapter of the Capital Wasteland. Though this would be more of empty promise and to just use them as cannon fodder even though Irons is powerful and influential. I doubt that even he could convince Lost Hills to make the Outcasts the primary chapter. Even if they do Lyons would not abandon the Citadel and since Lyons has greater military forces then the Outcasts. Even with the support of Lost Hills there is also the distant issue and their weakened state. The best situation is to get a truce between Lyons and Casdin and/or reintegration. But if that is not achieved then we should at least get them to be neutral in the events to come. As a special note, though I disapprove of this, if the Outcasts do ally with Irons, The Outcasts will more than likely attack Lyons and with the support of Irons they will be able to hold their own against them. If this happens then if we offer assistance Lyons, he will sooner or later accept and an alliance will be formed.

PS. I have earned the trust of the outcasts and have shared some pretty advance technology with them. I also assisted them in getting access to custom T-51b armor, Gauss rifles and possibly a very large munitions store. I believe that I have earned enough for them to at least talk to us and not to side with Irons right away. I have also made a personal connection to two of their senior members. Being Protector McGraw, and Specialist Olin when I helped them put down a rebelling and saving their lives at the same time. Protector McGraw is Casdin's second in command in a sense head Paladin. Specialist Olin is the highest Specialist, and in a sense is Head scribe.

Also I sympathies with the group, they have the strength and will of a brotherhood chapter they lack the manpower to actually do anything. They have left their brothers and have no contact to home. Their only goal being to wait and gather strength slowly and try to make contact with home. This follows the old M.O. of the brotherhood but I have seen and heard individuals in the group express their frustration and loneliness of waiting and it is one of the things that accumulated to the small rebellion in the outcast outpost. They are lost and this can be a double edged sword if we and Lyons offer them a home, this might temper them. But if Irons succeeds the promise of going home will be more than enough to sacrifice their lives for an empty promise.


	5. The Midwest Brotherhood of Steel

From: The Commander

To: Starship Council

Subject: Midwest Brotherhood of Steel- Assessment and Recommendation

The Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel is technically a splinter group of the original Brotherhood. I have had very little personal contact with this chapter. What little I have had was during my expedition to the West Coast to visit "civilized lands" and to find a group that had the qualities I needed to build the TSC. Besides Lyons, from what I heard of the Midwestern Brotherhood, they might have been another group to help me with the Olympus. But no matter where I looked they seem to have eluded me. The closest was when I was in Alton, Illinois and found some logs on them. These logs were actually confiscated by a group called the Railroad. When the found an abandoned brotherhood outpost and scavenged what they could. I also heard rumors of them attacking some group in Kansas. But despite not finding them, the logs, rumors, and what Scribe Rothchild told me was enough to prove that this group exists. I dispatched a Seraph to investigate further. Thanks to our advanced technology and resources, I hoped we might be able to find more.

History:  
There is some history of this group in Lyons' database about who this group was before they became the Midwestern Brotherhood. Other than that, the Seraph was able to find some old legends from the local tribes that seem to worship this chapter as deities. In exchange for the knowledge of the ancients and protection from the shadows, the tribes would give tribute to the Brotherhood. Sometimes, it was a group of young children, both male and female. They were the best of their children as provided by the guide left to them. Other times, it was food and provisions left in the middle of the village or town which would disappear the next day. But onto what we have been able to confirm.

Brotherhood Logs:  
Apparently after the defeat of the Master, the Brotherhood had an internal political schism. They found that they were at odds with their need for new blood and their code of technological secrecy. There was much debate, but the Brotherhood pulled its classic move: push the problem aside instead of dealing with it. Further discussion of the topic was discouraged and the Lost Hills Elders decided to send the minority into the wastes. They built a fleet of airships (which was unique for such a group), a sensible choice for long distance travel. But it was not repeated because it did not go exactly as planned. Apparently, upon reaching their destination, they were supposed to communicate with Lost Hills but lost contact about halfway through their trip. Though this is speculation, it might have been their first attempt to send a group to the East Coast. But since the files were not in Lyons' database and other chapters are unwilling to give access to their files, that it is all that can be said. Through common sense and logic, we can reasonably speculate there was an accident and they had to crash land, from which they reemerged in the Midwest near Chicago. We also discovered that they have a base outside of Chicago but it is constantly under siege by several forces. It is at this point where exact logs give way to legend.

Tribal Legends:  
Even though these are tribal writings, they are sophisticated enough to have dates and shows Brotherhood-style chronology. Around 2197, a "Warrior" was brought into the Brotherhood. He was a tribal recruit who demonstrated great potential. His initiation was to take out a bandit group with other initiates. At the time, the Brotherhood was trying to secure the area around Chicago. The Warrior eventually was brought into the Brotherhood's main goal of finding Vault Zero. From its implied location, our Enclave files say Vault Zero is located in Cheyenne Mountain.

Technical Note:  
This place was full of pre-War technology, as it was the prototype command center of the pre-War Vault network, as well as experimentation on alien technology (something about a gate that sent people somewhere might have been a fraud) and a fallout shelter the most senior government, scientific, and military leaders were supposed to go.

After the Warrior's initiation, there was another campaign by the Brotherhood against (I find this hard to believe) an organization called the Beast Lords, a group of humans who were able to control animals and made Deathclaws their servants. The Brotherhood was eventually victorious but then ran into another enemy.

This group was found in "the Belt." From info provided by the tribals, it appears to be post-War Missouri. They ran into the "green giants," or Super Mutants. The first fights were costly and they were overwhelmed outside Saint Louis (St. Louis). They discovered that a former Brother was leading the group. Despite withdrawing, they remained under constant attack.

The Brotherhood's next victory was won through a stroke of luck. A squad was dispatched to destroy a munitions plant and found that it was actually a lab to cure mutant sterility. They claimed it in order to use it as a bargaining chip. At the same time, a group was at a ghoul town known as Gravestone, located in the ruins of Kansas City, where Brotherhood scouts found an intact nuclear bomb. They defended it from several hoards of mutants before securing the bomb in a safe bunker.

The Mutants' base was eventually discovered. All the legends say on the aftermath, though, was that "an ancient leader turned away from sanity and old brothers were forced to bring him back through death". The last words of the Mutant leader were "a cold enemy from the West is coming."

Technical Note:  
The cold enemy appears to be a machine race, since there are several machines still rampaging in the Midwest.

After the cold army appeared, it was swept across the American Midwest. A cult known as the Reavers, dedicated to technology worship, was caught in between the Brotherhood and the robot army. They tried to fight a war on two fronts but eventually their lines collapsed. They sought sanctuary among the Brotherhood and in return they gave them electromagnetic pulse weapons. It was eventually discovered that the "cold army" was coming from Vault Zero, led by the "Calculator," further reinforcing that this was a robot army.

This Calculator, they learned, was a horrific combination of human brains and computer hardware. Events eventually lead this chapter to attack the main base directly. The cold ones had found someone with vital information on the Brotherhood and could destroy them. They created a plan to destroy the cold ones at their base at Vault Zero. They used the captured nuke to blast open the entrance to the vault. Two squads were able to get into the base, one led by the Warrior, where they confronted the Calculator.

The next parts of the tribal legends vary by source. Because of how hard it is to find definite groups of this chapter, it is difficult to separate myth from fact in the different endings to the legends that our Seraph gathered.

Current Status:  
There seems to be two defined endings to the tribal legends because all the others contradict actual events. There are many variations to these endings but I'll try to elaborate the best I can. It is unknown to us how or what happened to the Calculator after this war but it is known that the Warrior was still alive in some form after the war. The fate of the Calculator is one of this chapter's best kept secrets. We have found that there were technical improvements throughout the Midwest, along with patrolling robots that follow a set path around the villages and towns of the Chicago area.

Technical note:  
When our Seraph approached several of these machines, some ignored him while others attacked him on sight. The ones that are idle ignore wild life but watch and observe large groups traveling. The Seraph observed that these machines are always hostile to Legion forces that have tried to expand their territory into the Plains Commonwealth and some of Colorado. The Plains Commonwealth is made up of the former states Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Though these states are not all Midwest territory, the robots patrol them nonetheless. Other than the robots, there are occasional Brotherhood patrols wearing interesting power armor. This group seems to claim large territory but does not actually have the forces to protect it all, hence their policy protecting the main settlements and villages with advanced transportation that is only rivaled by the Enclave and the TSC.

Territory:  
After much effort to make contact with this chapter, they appear to have claimed all of the former Plains Commonwealth and parts of Colorado not under Legion influence. I speculate that is because they have history in all of it and do not want to let it go. There are many settlements that claim to be under the protection of this chapter and it is proven with tributes and definite bases in the area. The two we know of are Vault Zero (though it was still hidden to us when I requested an air sweep of the area, the whole known area was covered by trees). The other base was the one we made contact with, located in the outskirts of Chicago. It seems to be the face of this chapter. This is the same base that Lyons came in contact with twenty years earlier. It can be assumed that they lied about their current situation since we have seen them far more widespread.

This assumes they have valid claim over those territories, questionable as they still don't have the logistics to cover five states. There are also settlements that have refused this chapter's protection since they do not want pay tribute to them.

Technology:  
This is a very touchy subject even though this group is open to outside recruits and relations. It is even more secretive with technology then Lost Hills. But besides this they openly embrace all technology, not just military technology but also Botany, Agriculture, and even Astronomy. We have seen advanced irrigation in the settlements controlled by the Brotherhood, with advanced hydro systems providing water for villages and settlements. This has made the land around these settlements extremely fertile as well.

Armor:  
As I mentioned before we have seen them with a unique power armor that is not known to us or other Brotherhood chapters. When this chapter was first sent out they had the standard T -45d and T-51b series of armor. But according to tribal logs, they had this new armor almost right off the bat. It's obvious this is not true. This armor bears a remarkable visual similarity to the Capital Wasteland Enclave's variant of the Advanced Power Armor Mk II, but they were not created at the time these armors were found. I can see three possibilities: the Brotherhood found a way to develop new armor before taking Vault Zero, they found this armor at Vault Zero, or they developed it there and then had the logs altered to express their chapter's identity in their history, as the armor does possess great intimidation value.

Weaponry:  
What is known about this chapter's weaponry is unknown at best. They probably have some laser and plasma weapons, as well as projectile weapons. But one thing we know for sure is that they have exotic Gauss weaponry. When our Seraph talked to a representative, the guards had a variety of Gauss weapons.

Exotic Technology:  
The most exotic and best technology they have is the legion of robots at their command and presumably the Calculator itself. They use these robots to lay claim to territory that they cannot handle themselves. They carried standard patrol around known settlements and some were not hostile to our forces. But when we followed others, they immediately opened fire. There are only two things I can see for this: either is something we should not see there or these are rogue robots that attack anything on sight.

Relations:  
The Midwestern Brotherhood relations with the outside are very similar to that of Lyons' Brotherhood. There are two ways they differ, however. For one, they recruit Super Mutants, sentient Deathclaws, and Ghouls. Secondly, they do it out of necessity and these recruits are typically drafted. All racial hate is put aside for the purposes of survival and the rebuilding of civilization. Human tribal and city recruits are drafted into the Brotherhood as a means of paying the Brotherhood for their protection. If they do not give an offering then they must meet the wrath of the Brotherhood Inquisitors. (They are pretty much collection agents.) Other than that, the towns and tribes live normally with very little fear of raider attack. However, thanks to the growing presence of the Legion, they might start a more aggressive recruitment process. As far as their relations to outside factions, they are typically not hostile to those who present a friendly persona, though they still remain cold. They will be hostile to those who have had negative relations with them in the past, but they clarify this information before they attack. For this reason, I would refrain from mentioning that some of our founding members are former Enclave. As for us, first contact should be a large extravaganza. They pushed away our representative as they did not believe that we told them. Though after finally meeting a regional commander, he stated that in any war that is with the West Coast Brotherhood with another faction with similar level of technology and size, they will stay neutral with unless hostilities are initiated by either group.

Other Information:  
This faction, despite being powerful, has had a long run of bad luck. They have been hostile with every major faction they have encountered, from those they have taken down and assimilated to groups that have resisted and held their own against this chapter. If not for the constant hostilities, this faction would be much greater than they currently are. They are in constant hostilities with the Legion since it is the largest threat to them and two smaller factions as well. There seems to be an organized society in Kansas that they fought and were at first victorious over. But this boast was short-lived as this group was willing to take drastic steps to survive. This group as well has hostilities with the Legion and has fought both the Brotherhood and the Legion on both fronts. Taking tactics from the Legion against the Brotherhood, they were able to scare them into submission for a time. If it is possible we should investigate this and try to broker a peace between the two in the future.

The second minor faction is actually a shadow Enclave base that we know about thanks to our old Enclave logs. Unfortunately, because of the presence of the Midwestern Brotherhood, we have been unable to investigate them. It is astonishing that they have been able to elude this chapter for so long despite Chicago being in a constant state of warfare.

Analysis:  
As the regional commander said, their standard procedure for large factions that are at war with the original Brotherhood is to stay neutral until one or the other threatens them. They seem to display skepticism towards any boasts of power unless shown evidence. Right now, there is not much we can do with this group, but when the Brotherhood War is over, I suggest a grand presentation of what he can do to them to open up relations; nothing hostile but something that shows them that we mean business. They have seen to have two reactions when this happens: 1) they find a large faction and try to annex them and if that faction refuses, then they go to war or 2) a group reveals themselves to the Brotherhood and if good relations are not made immediately, they go to war, as was the case with the Legion. I suggest a grand display that is nothing more than flashing lights and illusions to show them that we have power but are offering friendship and trade, not hostilities. Since they have gone to war with every major faction that they have encountered, they have been put into a position that forces them to rely on robots for their standard patrols and forcibly recruit people into their group or lose their protection. This group desperately needs a trade partner and not another war. The good thing about this group is they cannot be bribed by Irons, as they are their own group, and Irons cannot attack them as that would provoke their wrath. Though they will not be our allies, they at least would not be hostile if our forces met on the battlefield against Irons. On the other hand, if we provoke them, even though they are not really a threat to us, they are still well-armed enough to do significant damage, particularly to our settlements near their territory. We cannot handle a two front war with both Irons' chapter and the Midwestern Brotherhood. The war would be long and atrocious; we would have to grant them major concessions to get a ceasefire from them so we could deal with Irons. But if they are on their own, that would be to our advantage in a war. I do not suggest this, as I prefer to maintain good relations with every faction if possible instead of outright conquest. Eventually, if they wish, they can even join our group and we could assimilate their ideals, culture, and resources. If hostile relations with Irons would cease, I would also offer trade with them as well. This applies to all groups, even the Legion, if they made some major reforms.


	6. The New California Republic

From: The Commander

To: Starship Council

Subject: The New California Republic- General Assessment and personal recommendation.

Background/History:  
The New California republic, as the name suggests they are a republic based in California. The named seems to stem from the old world California's state republic. Their flag is a two-headed bear from the original one-headed bear of the old world. It was founded by a President Tandi In the year 2189 with the assistance of the legendary Vault Dweller. The founding town was originally named Shady Sands, and is now the capital, holding the same name as the country. By post-apocalyptic standards, the NCR is a paradigm of economic success and mostly good ethical character. The political climate of the NCR is debatable but they do follow the philosophy of rule of law, instead of rule by men alone. They have a reasonable degree of physical security, and a standard of living is a much higher degree than the typical wasteland community. The current population of this "country" is about 700,000, a great achievement in these times.  
Some years before I was born, the West Coast (and original) Brotherhood of Steel attacked the NCR. The goal was likely to establish permanent control of the ownership and use of pre-War technology; the BOS hoarding it, NCR wasting it. Early on, the NCR was at a considerable disadvantage: The NCR army was inferior to the BOS in all aspects but size, and lost many battles because of that. As the war dragged on, the NCR's larger recruiting base began to turn the tide, as the BOS couldn't replace casualties as quickly. A Paladin, while able to wipe out a whole squad of NCR infantry, takes years to train properly. Eventually, the Brotherhood recognized inability to win, and fled into hiding. The war, though largely over, still rages in the Mojave. The greatest spoil that the NCR claimed in the conflict was a large supply of defunct power armor, which now protects their Heavy Troopers.

Currently, the NCR is in a state of transition, with rapid economic growth and a sea change in political leadership. This transition endangers its basic humanitarian ideals. This is very evident in the Mojave, where Hoover dam has improved access to electricity and water, but the Mojave Campaign has nearly over-taxed the NCR budget and embroiled its armed forces in a stalemate against Caesar's Legion. Its full plan would seem to be annexing New Vegas as its sixth state, the first five being Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxon, Hub, and Dayglow. Many other territories are very valuable: the Chosen One used a G.E.C.K. to create quite fertile farmland in Arroyo (ca. 2242), the Boneyard is home to the Followers of the Apocalypse, and their extensive medical and scientific knowledge; and Vault City has the most advanced technology, able to mass-produce medical drugs, fabricate advanced military gear, and perform complex surgeries and other medical procedures. From what Archangel's Seraphs tell me, Vault City was annexed by the NCR to remove the threat of New Reno thugs, hired by NCR to attack Vault City (they may, therefore, be able to defeat traps). NCR also took Navarro, the former land military base of the West coast Enclave, in the war which I will cover later.  
In the Mojave, while the NCR currently controls Hoover Dam, its treaty with Mr. House and the Three Families compels it to allot 5% of the Dam's Electricity and water production for local use, free of charge. The NCR is also locked into protecting New Vegas from Invasion by Caesar's Legion, even though it does doesn't receive a single cap in tax revenue from the Strip's highly lucrative resort operations."

Technology:

Military:

The NCR seems to have access to a lot albeit rudimentary pre-war technology. But what is unique about this is that their equipment is new or "good as new". The NCR standard troopers are armed with basic service rifles. As well post-war made armor, that is of a new design.

The NCR also possesses power armor. There are two different versions of their power amour, refurbished and salvaged power armor. The refurbished is achuall power armor that works on the concept of power armor. Though the NCR may have the capability to refurbish armor, it seems very unlikely. It is more likely that they have paid the Shi to refurbish any armor they come across. As for salvaged power armor this is the armor that has been acquired from the NCRs war with the brotherhood, which has either been raided or salvaged from Brotherhood troop corpses and bases. This armor has had the servos striped out of it and has had a air-conditioning unit put on the back of it. This is because of lack of specialized training the heavy troopers go through and is much cheaper to strip the armor then give these troopers the proper training.

As well the NCR does not use energy weapons even though they have access to them. These weapons if used would most likely be used for Special Forces. Instead of this the NCR "Rangers", are given unique armor and weapons that has also been refurbished. The weapons used are yet not limited to, the prewar anti material rifle, hunting rifles as well as the unique designed ranger sequoia, and brush guns.

Civilian:

The NCR obviously has knowledge of irrigation. They also maintain some pre- War transportation, such as monorails, trains, and prewar vehicles. The NCR railway system is quite extensive, as it travels through both the core regions as well as the Mojave Desert. This is quite an achievement albeit the progress has hit a rough patch recently.

Now the NCR production abilities increased significantly since they annexed Vault City, The NCR got access to a large array of new technology. They can now mass produce chems and stimpacks, as well as perform radiation removal and sophisticated procedures, including replacement of lost limbs nad organs via cloning and grafting armor to ones skeleton. They can also repair and build new versions of pre-war weapons and armor, this may mean that the armor that has been put into myth by the ranger veterans might not be prewar made but brand new.

The NCR also has the most vegetation, plants and grasslands out of all other factions and the rest of the United States.

Military: Thought the origins of the army are not detailed, they were known to exist around 2241 as a standing army in the core regions. The army then continued to grow and served the NCR interests. They have given themselves a name since taking out several raider tribes and their war with the Brotherhood of steel. Currently the NCR military is only rivaled by Ceasars Legion. Thought these to military forces are currently in a stalemate in the Mojave desert. Though the legion is slowly winning the war.

The NCR military is organized similar to the pre-war American military, thought it is adapted to the much smaller population of the wasteland. They have four basic unit archetypes: Trooper, Heavy Trooper, Ranger, and Mechanized. These are then split up into different companies with specialized areas of expertise.

Infantry:

Regular infantry are issued standard 5.56mm Service Rifles, 9mm semiautomatic sidearm's, and body armor. Their training is short, usually 2-3 months. While modest by Enclave or BOS standards, this equipment is still better than what their usual foes possess. The infantry devision also has specialized corps. For example, there is group of troopers that are categorized as the best snipers in the wasteland and are called 1st recon. Yet they are not as good as the NCR Rangers. 1st recon is part of the basic trooper archetype though they are the best of the best when it comes to this division. The trooper division also has a logistics corp., Medical, and a MP division. The Heavy Trooper is technically part of the infantry to, but have specialized training that makes them decent shock troops so they have their own class as well.

Heavy troops:

The Heavy Infantry Corps uses heavier weapons (like the 5.56mm M240 LMG) and salvaged T-45d power armor, and receives better training. Thought this training specialized training are not as well trained as any Enclave, Brotherhood or even our own troopers when it comes to power armor. The armor is not even under the same principle as power armor as the servos have been stripped out of them. The armor does still give the protection of power armor though. The unit's function much like power armored units seemed to in pre-War times: as shock troopers, spearheading major engagements.

The Rangers:

The pinnacle of NCR training is the Rangers. They were once more like civilian SWAT units or State Police than military Special Forces, but have since taken on that role. The equipment of Patrol Rangers is generally on par with Heavy Trooper weaponry, and their armor, while not power armor, is still superior to standard NCR Combat armor. Veteran Rangers, with 20+ years of service, are honored with "Black Armor," modeled on LAPD SWAT suits and unique revolvers. They pose significant threats to any who cross their path, but are increasingly looked down on by high command officers, in favor of Heavy Troopers.

Mechanized:

Ground:

The mechanized division, has not yet been seen in action, but is known to have access to pre-War military vehicles, so probably has significant fighting power and mobility. It is also unknown how many they have. The logistics corps employs several former US army trucks for transport. And have workshops that have decent technicians.

Air force:

NCR does have a small air force, composed of Vertibirds captured at Navarro from the Enclave. It is also speculated that they acquired the blueprints for the VTOL aircraft in the spoils from the Brotherhood. If they did, they can't build them very fast, given the lack of significant air support in Mojave. At least one of the Vertibirds is reserved for the NCR presidents personal Vehicle called Bear Force One (no pun intended).

The NCR also has access to fixed-wing aircraft it is unknown how many are operational and if they can reproduce them.

Post note: It should be noted that the NCR has access to Calvary as well but has for some reason not been used since the Great Kahn war.

Personal assessment:

NCR is a primarily good society, but has major flaws. As a post-War nation-state, NCR is a paradigm of success. They have the one of the, if not the largest population in the entire United States; they do have the largest military force in the US; they have the most developed infrastructure outside the Enclave. Tandi's rule expanded NCR, as settlements joined of their own free will, impressed by the NCR's principles and results. But they cannot be the society that rebuilds this shattered world. They won their war with the Brotherhood by attrition, not superior strategy, training, or technology. They had the luckiest streak in international relations, and became so egotistical that the only faction thus far that has stymied them is the Legion. Corruption runs rampant, with wealthy ranchers perverting justice in their favor. Government-backed monopolies flourish, as large merchants, like Crimson Caravan, use their influence to tax smaller competitors out of business. The Gun Runners provide the bulk of the Army's weapons, and wield disproportionate influence over military policy. President Kimball is too much of an expansionist; his Mojave campaign drains NCR resources with no discernible gains, thanks to the treaty with Mr. House. The effort costs much blood and treasure, and I believe that he will be voted out of office if things in the Mojave don't turn well for the NCR soon. His successor may have better luck; without NCR military forces keeping Caesar at bay, House will have to raise his own army to keep New Vegas safe. That would prove costly, and likely make him more amenable to annexation by NCR. But even if I'm right about that, the move would not increase NCR's real economic base enough to make the expenditure worthwhile, as New Vegas would really only provide tax revenues. The NCR, in spirit and in general, are good at heart, if not a bit naive. But until Kimball, General Oliver, and the squabble of Caravan families are dealt with there cannot be any real friendship between us and the NCR. There are intense benefits to be allies, and the small people of the NCR are good, but it is the higher-ups that must be dealt with. My personal suggestion would be slowly manipulating the events of the Mojave as the Seraphs and I find away to annex New Vegas, or at least prevent the other major factions from doing so.

An additional message to those who read my report: I believe if NCR succeeds in the Mojave, beating the Legion and House, then their national ego will grow even more. They may eventually seek to target us as they did the brotherhood. To them, we are hoarders of advanced technology and competition to be dealt with. Even though any war with us would prove their swift destruction, the NCR has become quite effective at getting what they want."

Note to readers: had this sitting out on my desktop for a while, thought I would release it. This report might be changed in the future. Through Grammar and content checks. But until then enjoy. As well tell me what you think with a review positive and negative constructive reviews are welcome.


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